One Year Later

September 19, 2003

Season two of Dr. Phil has begun! Take a look back on the past year and find out what happened to some of your favorite guests.

The Most Loyal FanLynda, who said she had seen every Dr. Phil show, was put to the test when she was given a quiz to see if she was really watching and paying attention. After passing with flying colors, we surprised her at home with tickets to Los Angeles and the show.

The New CathyWhen Cathy appeared on Dr. Phil's very first show one year ago, she was an out-of-control single mom who was constantly cursing and screaming at her kids. Dr. Phil did one follow-up with her shortly after her first visit, but you won't believe how she's changed since then.

Three Magic WordsOn "What Dr. Phil Knows about Men, Part 2," Matt admitted he could say, "I love you" to his power tools but not to his wife Amanda. To Amanda's pleasant surprise, her husband listened to everything Dr. Phil said on the show and changed his tune that very day! "Two or three hours later he said he loved me without me prompting him or anything," says Amanda. "It was out of the blue, and I almost cried. Our relationship has changed since the show 110 percent."

The Robin EffectWhen Robin McGraw appeared on "Hormones from Hell" to talk about menopause and give advice on dealing with hormonal changes, more than 100,000 people visited our Web site looking for more information. She has also contributed to many other shows that viewers couldn't get enough of, including "Behind the Scenes" and our Valentine's Day show.

Your Favorite ShowThe winner of our online poll for favorite show was "Biggest Mistakes Parents Make." Rebecca and her husband Evan appeared on that show because their 4-year-old daughter, Avery, was throwing temper tantrums. Dr. Phil told them that step one for them would be to "Step back, decompress, pick their battles differently and lighten up." To their amazement, this simple advice worked. Now they want to learn step two.

Closing the GapOver the year, Dr. Phil enlisted the help of his son, Jay, to tackle a variety of teen issues. On "Closing the Gap," Jay spoke to Shawna, who was constantly feuding with her father, Michael, because he always told her no. Michael now says that Jay's talk with his daughter "turned her around." When Shawna goes out, she now checks in with her dad to let him know where she is and that she's safe. In turn, Michael is able to trust his daughter and they have grown closer.

Little QuestionsOn "How to Talk to Your Kids about...," 4-year-old Hailey asked Dr. Phil, "Why do girls get boobs and boys don't?" Dr. Phil responded by saying "You're grounded until you're 12!" She's a year older now and back with another question.

Singing AgainShawn wrote to us because her life took a dramatic turn for the better after watching "Cancer in the Family." "I lost several family members in tragedy and was living almost every day in fear," she says. "But since that show, I began to do something I haven't done in years. I began to sing. When I allowed the musical part of me to live again, the rest of me began to heal. Thank you, Dr. Phil. I believe you saved my life."